AMR - US AIRWAYS MERGER
Value of deal: $11 billion
Combined revenues: $38.7 billion
Total employees: 100,000
Ownership: 72 percent by AMR creditors, 28 percent by US Airways
Board makeup: 12 directors, with five appointed by American's creditors, three appointed by American and four appointed by US Airways
Sources: AMR, US Airways, analysts.
REACTIONS
"While the American Airlines restructuring process was difficult at times, it ultimately proved successful as thousands of high-paying jobs were saved in our community. Across the country, today’s corporations are making decisions based on economies of scale. We are confident US Airway’s decision to merge with American Airlines, a longstanding corporate partner in Tulsa, will ultimately keep thousands of high-paying aerospace and manufacturing jobs here, in our community. The city of Tulsa is grateful that American Airlines and US Airways are committed to Tulsa and that our future in the aerospace/aviation industry looks very bright."
Mike Neal
President of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, said.
TIMELINE
January 1946: New York-based American Airlines establishes its Tulsa maintenance base with 50 employees in four barn-like World War II-era hangars formerly occupied by Douglas Aircraft.
November 1946: American's Tulsa base payroll jumps to 700 workers.
August 1951: American hires its 3,000th employee at the Tulsa base.
January 1953: Work begins on a $2 million remodeling of the maintenance facility.
October 1955: American adds 700 jobs at the Tulsa base, increasing total employment to 3,500 people.
January 1956: On the 10th anniversary of the Tulsa base opening, 3,600 workers are employed.
June 1959: -- American dedicates the Jet Maintenance & Engineering Center in Tulsa. "Jet" in the name later was dropped when airlines went to all-jet fleets.
June 1962: American installs the first computerized airline ticket reservation system.
November 1966: An aviation era closes when American performs its last main base overhaul on a DC7 piston-powered commercial aircraft.
June 1969: American announces a $40 million expansion of the Tulsa Maintenance & Engineering Center.
September 1970: American announces the relocation of its Sabre computer reservation system from Briarcliff, N.Y., to Tulsa, bringing the company's investment in Tulsa to $118 million.
July 1971: American's $13 million 106,000-square-foot computer center, Sabre II, opens in Tulsa.
November 1971: -- The Maintenance & Engineering Center celebrates its 25th anniversary.
January 1972: The local center's work force totals 5,100.
April 1976: On the 30th anniversary of the Tulsa base, workforce payroll tops $100 million a year.
November 1978: Dedication ceremonies are held for a 263,000-square-foot addition to the Sabre Computer Center at Tulsa International Airport.
June 1979: American moves its corporate headquarters from New York City to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
May 1982: AMR Corp., the new holding company of American Airlines Inc., is formed.
November 1986: American announces a $154 million expansion and renovation of the Tulsa Maintenance & Engineering Center.
June 1989: American announces a $150 million expansion of the Tulsa base, which will create 1,600 jobs.
March 1991: Appearing at the company's President's Conference with employees at the Mabee Center, American Airlines President Robert Crandall says the U.S. airline industry is in "dreadful" condition, suffering from a doubling of fuel prices, fare wars and a slump in travel brought on by the Persian Gulf War.
March 2001: Electronic Data Systems Corp. acquires Sabre's airline infrastructure outsourcing business and its internal information technology infrastructure assets. About 1,400 Sabre employees in Tulsa accept jobs with EDS.
January 2003: AMR Corp. reports a $3.5 billion loss for 2002, the largest annual loss in airline history.
February 2003: Citing unsustainable losses of more than $5 million a day, American asks its labor leaders and employees for $1.8 billion in annual savings through changes in wages, work rules and benefits.
May 2003: American implements significant cuts, which include laying off 7,000 workers companywide, including 718 in Tulsa, where the airline employed about 10,000. The company also says it is reviewing its three maintenance bases -- at Tulsa, Fort Worth and Kansas City, Mo. -- for possible cutbacks.
September 2003: After the passage of the Vision 2025 improvement and incentive package, which includes $22.3 million in capital improvements for American's Tulsa maintenance center, the airline announces it will add work in Tulsa and not close the base.
May 2007: Then-Gov. Brad Henry approved appropriating $10 million from the state's Opportunity Fund, which contains surplus state money that is used to create jobs, for new facilities for American and Spirit AeroSystems.
Mayor Kathy Taylor paired $5.7 million of the state funds with $4.3 million in local funds to build American the 81,400-square-foot widebody Hangar 80 at TulsaInternationalAirport. The remainder of the state money, $4.3 million, was used to rehabilitate an aircraft building for Spirit.
The state and local money contributed for American's new hangar was in addition to the $22.3 million in Vision 2025 funding provided to American by county taxpayers in 2003.
The Vision 2025 money was used by the company to purchase tooling and test equipment, including a $2 million avionics testing device.
July 2011: More than 200 Tulsa-based American Airlines workers whom the company is considering moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth area say they are opposed to relocating and ask Tulsans' and elected officials' help in making their case. The workers, members of Local 514 of the Transport Workers Union, include 230 maintenance control technician positions and staff. "The relocation of these jobs would mean a $14.6 million loss of wages currently circulating in Tulsa's economy and tax base," said Sam Cirri, president of TWU Local 514.
Nov. 29, 2011: Fort Worth, Texas-based AMR Corp. and AMR Eagle Holding Corp., the parent companies of American Airlines and its regional affiliate American Eagle, file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. They filed voluntary petitions to reorganize, saying it's in the best interest of the companies and its shareholders.
Feb. 1, 2012: American announces it will cut 13,000 jobs nationwide, including 2,100 in Tulsa, or 30.9 percent of jobs here.
Feb. 14, 2013: American Airlines and U.S. Airways leaders officially announce a merger to create the nation’s largest carrier and give some 7,000 employees in Tulsa new leadership after more than a year of uncertainty and bankruptcy proceedings.
